A Tree Grows in Sitka

Not sure how many acoustic guitar players we have reading the blog, but did you know that Greenpeace is teaming up with Fender, Gibson, Martin and Taylor to help protect the Sitka spruce tree and some tropical woods like like mahogany, ebony and rosewood, which are starting to become scarce? Yes, it seems guitar makers are finally wising up to the simple fact that if we go on logging as we have, there won't be a future for them.

Martin, for example, has been around for 175 years. Clearly they want to be around for another 175, which is why they're starting to change tactics.

Sitka spruce trees (that's Sitka, Alaska, by the way, home of the new Chabon novel), used to make the soundboards in acoustic guitars that produce the richest tone, have to be at least 250 years old. If present logging conditions continue, the last of "˜em will be gone in 7 years. So, in order to ensure that doesn't happen, Greenpeace wants logging companies to apply for certification by an environmental organization that would require the adoption of different practices. In addition to the guitar makers already named, surprise, surprise, Sting and Dave Matthews are lending their names to the effort, as well.
I've owned many acoustics over the years, but for some reason, my favorite is still the very first one I bought in junior high: a Canadian Seagull.

Christmas trees aren't for everyone. Some people can't fit a fir inside their cramped abodes, while others are turned off by the expense, or by the idea of bugs hitchhiking their way inside. Fake trees are always an option, but a new trend sweeping Instagram—pineapples as mini-Christmas "trees"—might convince you to forego the forest vibe for a more tropical aesthetic.

As Thrillist reports, the pineapple-as-Christmas-tree idea appears to have originated on Pinterest before it, uh, ripened into a social media sensation. Transforming a pineapple into a Halloween “pumpkin” requires carving and tea lights, but to make the fruit festive for Christmas all one needs are lights, ornaments, swaths of garland, and any other tiny tchotchkes that remind you of the holidays. The final result is a tabletop decoration that's equal parts Blue Hawaii and Miracle on 34th Street.

In need of some decorating inspiration? Check out a variety of “Christmas tree” pineapples below.